Fires

Battery storage facilities should not be built in or near forests. Many facilities are ill-equipped for thermal runaway (when the battery system overheats and catches fire) and its potential impacts.

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Milosh T. Puchovsky, Professor of Practice in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute said the following about the problem with many storage facilities: 

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"A fire or explosion may occur if concentrations of flammable gases—for example, hydrogen—are sufficient to create combustible or flammable mixtures in the presence of those overheated BESS components or other ignition sources. These hazards are not just theoretical. I am aware of a number of BESS installations that have experienced incidents involving fires and explosions."

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Many facilities lack sufficient emergency response plans, and proper planning needed to be deemed safe. 

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In light of thermal runaway increases, there has been a recent movement to improve battery technology and installation methods. 

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Currently, many storage facilities use batteries made of nickel manganese cobalt. "The lithium-ion batteries made with nickel manganese cobalt have high energy density, which makes them attractive for use in storage facilities. But in light of thermal runaway incidents, there’s been a movement toward lithium iron phosphate batteries that operate at lower temperatures and are less prone to fires. Although changing or adjusting battery chemistry is important, there’s also a focus on making sure the battery arrays are properly wired and the fire prevention systems inside the storage containers don’t malfunction." -Rob Nikolewski​, LA Times

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Technology and safety measures will keep improving as our grid is expanded and relies more and more on storage facilities. While more facilities are built, it is vital that battery storage facilities do not risk the quality of the local environment or the safety of nearby homes.

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